


The Curse: Redux

by sephiroths_puppet (pixelarmada)



Series: The Curse Saga [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Creepypasta, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-12 17:22:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15344757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixelarmada/pseuds/sephiroths_puppet
Summary: Have you heard the legend of the video game that kills you when you play it? In this tale, one young woman becomes the unfortunate victim of a strange entity's sadistic desires. Can she escape her fate before the curse tightens its grip on her? She may not live long enough to find out.





	1. Ensnare

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note:  
> I originally wrote ‘The Curse’ about three years ago as a sort of self insert/creepypasta for DeviantART as a Halloween project. While the story was received much better than I had anticipated, it was a rushed project and extremely censored due to the fact that it was on DeviantART. Now, I have decided to rewrite it in all it’s fucked up glory. The story is still a self insert that’s mostly set in the fictional New England town of Barnstable. Enjoy this twisted story of the video game that kills all who dare play it.

_Three months ago._

 

_“I have to hide!”_

 

_The young man, a recluse and recent college dropout was running throughout his apartment, every so often looking back. His heart raced in his desperate attempt to hide from whatever it was that was chasing him. Finally he happened upon his bathroom and darted inside. He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it. As he turned around, he stared in confusion at the bathtub, which was filled to the brim with water. He had no recollection of filling the tub as he continued to stare, his back pressed up against the door. His eyes wandered to the floor and he watched in horror as black smokey tendrils crept inside the bathroom from beneath the door._

 

_“Fucking Christ!” the young man screamed as the smokey apparition began to take shape before him._

 

_With time the apparition began to take on a human form, just over six feet tall. Clad in a long black leather coat, the apparition opened its piercing green eyes to gaze upon its prey with long silver hair flowing behind it. The apparition cracked a smirk at the young man and black liquid began to slowly leak from its mouth. The young man screamed every profanity he knew at the apparition, but it was not deterred. It slowly stepped forward, the smirk evolving into a sinister grin as it got closer to the man. The black liquid now began to drip from its eyes. It stood just inches in front of the man, letting out a low chuckle in amusement at the man’s cries of fear. The apparition then grabbed the man by his shirt and tossed him towards the tub like he weighed nothing. The man’s head smacked against the tub’s ceramic body, causing his head to spin. It once again slowly approached the man that now lay crumpled on the floor. The man looked up at the apparition in a daze._

 

_“Why… are you doing this…? What do you want… from me?”_

 

_The apparition simply let out a chuckle before it responded, “Fear not. Your soul will live again as a part of me.”_

 

_It bent down and grabbed the man by the neck with just one hand; its left hand. The man tried to fight against the apparition, but to no avail; it was simply too strong. It dangled the man over the filled bathtub, once again letting out a low chuckle._

 

_“Your death will give me life. You should feel honored to serve such a purpose.”_

 

_The apparition suddenly thrusted the man into the tub and held him down with both hands. The man thrashed, splashing water all over the place, but it continued to hold him down. After about five agonizing minutes, the man’s movements slowed until he stopped fighting completely. The apparition stared down at the man’s lifeless body with a smile. Smokey black tendrils came out of the apparition, wrapping themselves all over the man’s body. After feeding on the poor man’s soul, the apparition was no longer in its human form. The tendrils quickly made their way to the living room where they disappeared into a game laying on the floor._

 

_That game was a copy of Final Fantasy VII._

 

When I tell people I’m from Barnstable, most people have no clue where that is. It’s a small farming town approximately a half an hour’s drive from any sort of city. For most people that is complete torture, but not for me; I like the solitude. It is on the back country roads where an old house sits that I call home; that I’ve called home for about three years now. Home is where I am making my way to in my nearly 20 year old red Jeep Wrangler. It’s early October and still warm enough to keep the windows down, however, the grip of autumn is on all the trees, turning them into brilliant colors of yellow, orange and red. Fall in New England is a magical time.

 

I pull into the driveway of my 150 year old house and part my Jeep. I grab my purse and head into the house. I barely step into the kitchen when I notice something is amiss. My three month old puppy, a rottweiler mix named Odin, is nowhere to be found and the baby gate that was supposed to keep him in the kitchen is knocked over. My heart jumps into my throat as I turn the corner to go into my living room. With the amount of destruction in the room, you could have sworn that a bomb went off. It was a bomb alright; a bomb called Odin.

 

Video games are scattered in all corners of the room with my puppy in the dead center of it all. He stood there, staring at me with those puppy eyes, his little tail spinning in complete circles. My eyes are wide as I look over the damage my dog has caused. I am comforted to know that it appears as though all my games are intact; all but one. I notice one in the farthest corner of the room. It’s jewel casing was broken into pieces, same going for the black discs that belonged to it. I flip over a piece of one of the discs to find out what game it is; my stomach drops. It’s my copy of my favorite game, Final Fantasy VII.

 

“Mother fucker!” I suddenly spit out, throwing the disc piece back onto the floor.

 

My cursing sends my puppy back into the kitchen; Odin’s not stupid, he knows he did something extremely bad. I sit on the floor sobbing into my hands. Out of all my games, why did it have to be that game? After collecting myself, I start the grueling task of cleaning up Odin’s mess. Odin eventually made his way back to the living room, but refused to cross the threshold until I finished cleaning. Despite the destruction the he caused, it’s impossible for me to stay mad at him. He’s just a puppy after all; these things happen. My game can be replaced easily.

 

Or so I thought.

 

After getting everything put back, I begin my search for a replacement copy of my beloved game. I check everywhere: Amazon, Ebay and GameStop to name a few websites. They either didn’t have any copies or they were stupidly expensive; granted I paid way too much money for my copy. I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. After over two hours of browsing, I finally gave up and decided to go to bed. Before leaving the room to go to my bedroom, I stop to admire my collection of Sephiroth figurines. As I gaze upon them, I feel my heart fill with warmth. Sephiroth is one of my favorite video game characters, but the feelings I have for him are… unconventional to say the least. No one makes my heart race quite like Sephiroth does. Obviously these feelings could never be reciprocated; perhaps that’s the beauty of it, especially considering that, with Sephiroth being an exception, I am probably the most aromantic individual on the planet.

 

Finally, I make my way to my bedroom and change into my pajamas. I pick up Odin and place him on the bed before climbing under the covers. I then promptly fall fast asleep. The next morning I am awoken by the sound of my phone’s ringtone. With a groan, I grab my phone, hit the answer button and place it up to my ear.

 

“H-Hello…?”

 

“Ashley, really? How are you still sleeping? It’s eight in the morning!” my mother scolded me.

 

“Sorry Mum, I had a rough night. What’s up?”

 

“Your father and I were going to go to the big flea market down south. Did you want to come with us?”

 

My eyes suddenly widen at the words ‘flea market.’

 

_That’s it! I will definitely find a replacement copy of Final Fantasy VII at the flea market!_

 

I sit up in bed before replying, “Absolutely! I’ll be right up! Don’t leave without me!”

 

“Alright, sweetie. We’ll see you soon, then!”

 

After getting off the phone with my mother. I get dressed and get myself put together. After putting Odin back into the kitchen, (and making sure that the baby gate wouldn’t get knocked down again.) I go outside to get into my Jeep and go to my parents house so we can go to the flea market.

 

********

 

The flea market was a complete bust. Usually there were a ton of vintage video game dealers at this flea market but on this particular day there was only one and they didn’t have Final Fantasy VII. I am completely discouraged at this point. Even my parents didn’t find anything good on this particular trip to the flea market. In fact, we were on our way back to the parking lot when a vendor completely by themselves catches my eye. I don’t know what drew me to this particular vendor but I never dismissed my gut feelings.

 

It is an older gentleman’s booth; his tables are set up under a six foot by six foot tent-like structure. On one of the tables, there is a nondescript black plastic milk crate filled with a bunch of random stuff and I decide to dig through it. I saw the logo first; I just caught a quick glimpse of it when I snatched the item out of the milk crate. In my hand was none other than Final Fantasy VII. I couldn’t help but smile at my find. The case, a black label, is in pristine condition. I’m so in awe in the fact that I finally found a copy of Final Fantasy VII that the sound of the old gentleman’s voice startled me.

 

“That belonged to my grandson. It was his favorite game.”

 

After composing myself, I reply, “Really? Then what’s it doing here? Why are you selling it?”

 

“My grandson died about three months ago. That there is the last of his belongings,” the old man replied, motioning to the milk crate.

 

“I see,” I say as I swallow my uneasiness, “if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to him?”

 

“Ben drowned.”

 

I let out an audible gasp and the old man and I stare at each other in an awkward silence for about 30 seconds.

 

“Um… do you mind if I check the discs?” I ask hesitantly.

 

The old man shrugs, “sure. Be my guest.”

 

I open the game’s jewel case slowly and inspect each of the three discs. All of them are in near perfect condition. Whoever Ben was, he took very good care of this game. After I finish inspecting the discs, I shut the jewel case and look back up at the old man.

 

“So, how much would you like for this?”

 

The man tilted his head to the side as he gazes at the game in my hand, “how’s five dollars sound?”

 

My eyes widen in surprise, “five dollars!? Are you sure?”

 

The old man nods, “just promise me you’ll take good care of it in memory of my grandson.”

 

I smile, “of course,” I grab my wallet, take a five dollar bill from it and hand it to the man, “I’d say you have yourself a deal.”

 

The old man takes the money from me and shoves it in his pocket. After saying goodbye to the vendor, I rejoin my parents and we make our way home.

 

********

 

I practically run into my house after getting home from the flea market. After letting Odin outside to do his business and feeding him, I rush into the living room with my new copy of Final Fantasy VII. I put disc one into my PlayStation 2 and sit on my couch with a smile on my face. I watch as my PS2 goes through its startup sequence, then the PS1 logo does its thing. Then there was nothing. I waited, but nothing came up; just a black screen. I raise an eyebrow at my TV. I get up from the couch and put a ear up to my PS2. I can hear the disc spinning inside, but still nothing is happening.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding…”

 

I hit the power button to reset the system and try again. It goes through the starting sequence again and once again, black screen. I rest my face in my hands and scream in frustration into them.

 

“Fuck!”

 

Then in that moment a song started playing; the song ‘Those Chosen by the Planet.’ I lift my face from my hands and look to the TV, but the screen is still black.

 

“The game must be bugged.”

 

I stand up and shut off the PS2. I take the disc out and put it back in the jewel case; afterwards tossing the game lightly onto the couch before going upstairs to my bedroom to go to bed.

 

“That’s what I get for paying five dollars for it, I suppose…”


	2. Beginning of the End

I am awoken the next morning by the sudden sound of my PS2 starting up and a massive headache. When I realize what is happening, my heart begins to race. I toss the blankets off myself and rush downstairs to the living room. Sure enough, my PS2 is on and the case for Final Fantasy VII is open next to it; disc one seems to be inside the PS2. I slowly approach the TV with one eyebrow raised, because I remember clearly that I had taken the game out. Not to mention that my PS2 has never booted on by itself before. The screen itself is still black, the same as the night before. The song ‘Those Chosen by the Planet’ suddenly starts playing again, making me jump. Suddenly, the most crazy thought went through my head; that the game was somehow haunted. I shake my head in denial and hold down the power button on my PS2, turning it off. I take Final Fantasy VII out of the system and put it back in its case. I then walk over to my shelf and put the game on the shelf with the others.

 

_I must have just forgotten to take the game out that’s all_ , I try to rationalize to myself.

 

After that commotion, I begin to get ready to go to work with Odin right on my heels. My headache seems to get worse as time goes by, so I take some Aleve to hopefully remedy the issue. I put on a navy blue shirt with a collar and khaki colored pants for my job at the Rite Aid in the next town over, the only pharmacy and general store within a 30 mile radius.. I once again walk by my collection of Sephiroth figures and stop in front of them. I feel myself blush before I move on to go to work.

 

_Why am I blushing at figurines? God I’m so stupid._

 

My time at work is uneventful except for the fact that my headache is kicking my ass. The Aleve I took earlier isn’t touching it at all. I could feel my head pounding from the pain. I am sitting in the office with my head in my hands when my boss, Jen, suddenly walks in.

 

“Ash, are you alright? You don’t look so good,” Jen asks, the concern evident in her voice.

 

I shake my head, “I’ve had this awful headache all day.”

 

“Why don’t you go home? I can stay and take care of the store.”

 

“Jen I couldn’t ask that of you, you know that.”

 

Jen approaches me and crosses her arms. I hear her let out a loud sigh before she continues.

 

“Ash, I can tell you’re miserable. You can go home; I certainly won’t hold it against you if you do.”

 

“But Jen, I--”

 

“Ash, I am telling you to go home. Get some rest. You’re one of the hardest working people here; you deserve to go home and get some rest. Especially if you’re not feeling good.”

 

“Jen… are you sure?” I ask as I look up at her; unbeknownst to me, my eyes are extremely bloodshot from my headache.

 

“Yes, I am. Besides, you look like hell. Take a couple of days off and get some rest. You obviously need it.”

 

I thank her, grab my stuff and head out to my Jeep to go home. With each passing moment my headache gets progressively worse. I practically run out of my Jeep and into the house when I get home. All I can think about is sleeping. However when I open the door to go into my house, I am greeted with the sound of ‘Those Chosen by the Planet’ echoing from the living room. My heart jumps into my throat. I know for a fact that I took the game out before I went to work. Sure enough, when I go into the living room, I find my PS2 on and Final Fantasy VII open next to it.

 

“What the actual fuck is going on?” I ask myself as I turn off my PS2 and take the game back out.

 

When I go upstairs to my bedroom, I put the game into my closet and shut the door. After I do that, I look over at my Sephiroth figurines again. Strangely, my headache seems to subside when I gaze upon them. I walk over to them and admire them. My favorite one is the one I paid the most money for, my Play Arts Kai Sephiroth. My second favorite was the Kingdom Hearts one right next to it. As soon as I take my eyes off them, my headache comes rushing back, so I take that as my queue to hopefully take a nap. I get myself under the covers and while it took about an hour, I finally fall asleep.

 

********

 

The sound of Odin growling stirs me from my nap. My eyes weakly wander around my room, it’s almost completely dark; I must have slept until late in the evening. My eyes eventually adjust to the darkness of the room and I could now see that some light leaked into the bedroom through the curtains, making it around six or seven o’clock at night. I quickly become aware that Odin is still growling.

 

“Odin… what’s the matter?”

 

I sit up in my bed and focus on the end of the bed where Odin is growling. My eyes widen and I let out an audible gasp when I come to the realization that there is someone standing at the end of the bed. The figure is massive, at least six feet in height. I am frozen in place and my eyes are locked on the intruder. After a few moments, the figure begins to approach me, walking around the end of the bed and paying no mind to Odin. I feel my blood run cold as it gets closer. I then finally will myself to move; I press my back up against the headboard of my bed and pull my sheets up to cover myself. The figure lets out a chuckle as it watches me. The voice is strangely familiar to me and it isn’t until I catch the scent of leather that I put two and two together.

 

“Sephiroth…?” I manage to say.

 

I watch him smirk in the dim light as my fear subsides. Our eyes are locked on each other as my heart races, but not out of fear.

 

“Intriguing,” Sephiroth finally says, “is that admiration I sense?”

 

I swallow hard as his voice sends chills throughout my body. I watch him reach over and turn on my end table lamp. I stop breathing when the light illuminates him. He then sits on the side of my bed next to me.

 

“I suppose I can play with you for awhile,” Sephiroth purrs as his left gloved hand runs through my short brown hair.

 

I bite the inside of my cheek to make sure I’m not dreaming. He shifts closer as his hand cups the back of my head gently. He lets out a soft sigh.

 

“Such beautiful blue eyes. I could just _devour_ you.”

 

My lips begin to tremble as he leans in closer to me. Now our noses are touching each other. I close my eyes to hopefully calm the heart that is practically pounding out of my chest. I hear him let out a soft chuckle as his lips are suddenly on mine. I instinctively jerk back, but his hand behind my head keeps our lips locked. If it was possible for me to melt into a puddle in that moment, I would have. Our kiss becomes more passionate and eventually Sephiroth adds his tongue. I let out a soft moan of satisfaction as I place my hands on the cold steel of his pauldrons. Come to think of it, his lips and tongue are cold, ice cold, but I am too lost in the moment to care.

 

Suddenly, a foul tasting liquid begins to rush into my mouth. It tastes like nothing I have ever tasted before; but if I had to describe it, it tastes almost like rotten flesh. I violently shove Sephiroth away. I do my best to spit out whatever it is that’s in my mouth. Looking down at my hand, I find a weird gooey black substance has come out of my mouth. I slowly look back up at Sephiroth and find him grinning devilishly back at me; that same substance dripping from his mouth.

 

“What the fuck!?” I scream as I attempt to push myself away from him.

 

I watch wide-eyed as black smokey tendrils materialize from Sephiroth’s body. I fall off the bed and I scramble to stand up and try to run. However, one of the tendrils wraps around my ankle, pulling me back down onto the floor. I glance behind me and watch the tendril make its way up my leg, wrapping around it. I try to crawl away, but I just get pulled back. I can feel the tendril wrap around my waist as it then begins to go up into my shirt. Unable to move, all I can do is let out a bloodcurdling scream.

 

********

 

I wake up screaming as I sit straight up in bed. I break out into a cold sweat as I get my bearings.

 

“It was just a dream…” I say to myself, breathing heavily.

 

After a minute or so, my stomach drops when I hear the PS2’s startup sequence downstairs. I throw my blankets off me and get out of bed. I rush over to my closet and open it, but Final Fantasy VII is nowhere to be found. I then rush downstairs to find the same black screen as before. This time, however, a blue text box appears.

 

_Sephiroth:_

_Why did you run from me? I was enjoying myself. I know you liked it, too._

 

I immediately become extremely nauseous as I bring my hands up to my mouth. I watch from watering eyes as another text box appears.

 

_Sephiroth:_

_Come on, Ashley. I know you want me._

 

In that moment, the same black tendrils from before burst out from my TV and wrap themselves around my arms, legs and waist. I take a step back and fall on top of my coffee table with a scream…

 

And once again, I wake up screaming in my bed. I sit up and look around, now extremely confused. My pounding headache is still there and I find myself profusely sweating. I get up from bed and go over to my closet. I find Final Fantasy VII in there, right where I left it.

 

“I’m safe. It was just a bad dream.”

 

I walk back over to my end table and grab my phone to check the time.

 

“I’ve only slept for an hour?”

 

I put my phone in my back pocket and run my hands through my hair. The dream was so vivid, especially the first part when… Gods, I find myself blushing just thinking about that part of the dream, which in turn makes my heart race.

 

“Oh for heaven’s sake, it was just a stupid dream! Get a hold of yourself, Ash!”

 

I proceed to go downstairs and to the kitchen to make something to eat, when all of a sudden a huge wave of nausea comes over me and I rush over to the kitchen sink. I immediately start gagging. At first there was nothing, but then some sort of awful tasting liquid came up; I spit it into the sink with my eyes closed. When I feel the nausea subside, I open my eyes to look at what on earth I just coughed up.

 

It was a gooey black liquid.


	3. Infected

“Have you been outside the country recently?” 

 

My doctor’s question snaps me out of my sleep deprived daze. I haven’t slept; I didn’t dare sleep. My headache just keeps getting worse and I keep coughing up that black stuff.

 

“No,” I reply weakly, “I haven’t been outside of the country in about 15 years.”

 

My doctor folds her arms and drums her fingers.

 

“Have you eaten at any questionable restaurants?”

 

I shake my head before another wave of nauseousness comes over me. I wrap my arms around myself to try to fight off the feeling of throwing up. 

 

“What are your symptoms?” she continues her questioning.

 

“Disturbing vivid dreams, this awful headache and I keep throwing up this disgusting black shit.”

 

She grabs her clipboard and begins writing down something.

 

“I am making out a note to keep you out of work for a month. I have no idea what on earth you have, but I can’t risk you passing it onto someone else, especially considering where you work. An elder or a child could easily die from whatever it is that you have.” she hands me the note before continuing, “I’m sending your blood work up to the lab to get it tested for every virus and disease that we know of. I will call you when I get those results. You are not to go back to work until I tell you it’s ok. Understood?

 

I nod as I take the note from my doctor when I suddenly start to gag again. I quickly grab a nearby bucket and gag into it, once again coughing up the black liquid. My doctor grabs the bucket from me when I’m done and studies the liquid inside.

 

“I’m going to take a sample of this and send it to the lab as well. I’ve never seen anything like this…”

 

I watch as she puts some of the black liquid into a vial and places it next to a vial of my blood. After that, she whips out a small notepad and begins to write on it. She rips off a piece of paper and hands it to me.

 

“That’s a prescription for the migraines. Call me if it doesn’t work and we can up the dosage, ok?’

 

I nod at her as I take the paper from her. I leave the doctor’s office to go to my work to give my boss the doctor’s note and fill the prescription for the medication. My boss wasn’t thrilled when I gave her the note, but she wishes me well and I then proceed to walk back to the pharmacy. When I get to the prescription drop off window, I hand one of the pharmacy techs my prescription and have a seat in the waiting area. Even with the bright fluorescent lights, I can feel my eyes get heavy. I know that the prescription is going to take some time to fill, so I figure it wouldn’t hurt to close my eyes for a bit. I shift myself so that I’m comfortably sitting in the chair, lean my head back and close my eyes. After a few moments I can feel as though someone is standing behind me. I feel a hand run through my hair, followed by the scent of leather. The hand then suddenly moves from the top of my head to my left shoulder, grasping it firmly. I take a deep breath and my entire body tenses up; I hear a low, familiar chuckle in response.

 

“You came back to me. Good girl.”

 

I hold my breath at the sound of Sephiroth’s alluring voice, however, my eyes remain closed as I listen to the sound of his boots walk around me, stopping in front of me.

 

“Why don’t you open your eyes? You want to gaze upon me, I can sense it.”

 

He isn’t wrong, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right. I can hear the sound of his leather attire rubbing against itself as he leans forward. The sudden feeling of his cold breath against my ear and neck sends chills throughout my entire body.

 

“So stubborn. I will put you in your place, my dear.”

 

My skin crawls at the tone of his voice as he continues to breathe against my ear. To my horror, something wet and ice cold touches my ear. I quickly realize that it was a tongue. In a sudden panic, I tip the chair over and fall to the floor with a thud. I stumble back onto my feet and find Sephiroth looking at me; the most sinister grin on his face. I break into a sprint towards the store entrance. As I’m running, the fluorescent lights shatter, raining glass everywhere. Before I can react, something wraps around my ankle and pulls me to the floor. I turn around onto my back to see Sephiroth approaching. Black smoke protrudes from his body like tentacles. Standing above me, Sephiroth simply looks down at me, I watch as black liquid runs from his eyes and mouth. It reminds me of the same black stuff I’ve been coughing up for two days now. 

 

“Why do you keep running from me? Why don’t you follow what your heart clearly wants? Become one with me, my precious puppet.”

 

I am about to scream when one of the black smoke tentacles wraps around my throat tightly, cutting off my windpipe. I watch in vain as the other tentacles go up my shirt and down through the waist of my pants. I try to struggle, but it only causes the tentacles to react more violently. They wrap down my legs from underneath my pants and they force my legs open. Sephiroth stands between my legs, continuing to look down at me. I realize that he’s chuckling. 

 

“Don’t lie to yourself, Ashley. You’re enjoying this, and you’re going to love what I am about to do to you.”

 

“Ashley!” I suddenly hear a shout in my ear as someone begins shaking me. 

 

I jolt awake, my eyes wide and my breaths heavy. I look around; the lights are still intact, I’m still in the waiting area in the pharmacy. The pharmacist is standing next to me with her hand on my shoulder. 

 

“Ashley, are you alright? You were shaking in your sleep!”

 

“I’m… I’m fine…” I reply before swallowing hard.

 

The pharmacist hands me my prescription bag and helps me stand up. I quickly leave Rite Aid and go home. After letting Odin out to do his business, I quickly fill a glass of water and pop a couple of the pills I got into my mouth. The feeling of the ice cold water going down my throat is refreshing. I lean over my kitchen sink for a few moments to gather my thoughts. I tell myself that what happened at the pharmacy was just another bad dream. My thoughts, however, are suddenly interrupted by the sound of my PS2 booting up in the living room. Again. I rush into the living room and find my TV on, but the screen is once again black. I note that Final Fantasy VII is sitting on the TV stand next to the PS2, open. I am startled when a blue text box suddenly appears on screen. 

 

_ Sephiroth: _

_ You can keep running all you want, but your efforts will be futile. _

 

After a few moments, the text box leaves the screen. I stare at the screen with wide eyes. I know that for a fact I am very much awake this time. This is not a dream. Another text box then appears.

 

_ Sephiroth: _

_ Come now, don’t be like that. Allow me the pleasure of marking you as mine and watching as you are consumed by despair. In the end, we will become one.  _


	4. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I just want to say the response to this obviously self-indulgent fic has been overwhelming. I want thank everyone for all the support and feedback, it really means so much to me. I wanted to make sure to make this chapter longer since the last one was so short. Also...
> 
> Trigger Warnings: There is a strong suicide mention in this chapter and a graphic rape, just so everyone knows.

“Damn you!”

 

I practically rip the PS2 from the wall, take the disc out of it and place it back in the case. I stomp upstairs and into my bedroom; I open my closet door, find my lockbox and toss the game into it, locking it inside.

 

“Try getting out of  _ that _ , you son of a bitch!”

 

I slam my closet door shut and go back downstairs. After securing Odin back into the kitchen, I get back into my car and head into Concord to go to Walmart. When I’m there, I buy three cases of Monster energy drinks. The cashier ringing me out gives me a really weird look, but I ignore it. After that, I make my way to McDonald’s; despite my nausea, my stomach is growling. I walk in and find that it’s not that crowded. An elderly man with his granddaughter, a single dad with his two young children and two middle aged women are the only other people inside McDonald’s. I walk up to the counter to order.

 

“Hi, what can I get you today?”

 

“Can I get a medium number one with a Coke?”

 

“Absolutely, that will be $8.49 please.”

 

After paying for my food and waiting for it to come out, I take a seat at a table that is facing a TV that’s playing the local news. As I eat my food, the news suddenly gets my attention.

 

_ “Three months have passed since the death of 20 year old Benjamin Atkin and police still have no leads as to who the perpetrator is. Yesterday we spoke to the chief of the Concord police department; this is what he had to say to us. Over to you Karen.” _

 

_ “Thank you, Steve. I’m here with Officer Bradwell. Officer, can you give our viewers a quick rundown of the case?” _

 

_ “Ben was found in his bathroom when we arrived to do a welfare check that was requested by the victim’s parents. When the coroner was performing the autopsy, he noted that the victim had ligature marks on his neck, which tells us he was strangled with a lot of force as he was being held under the water in the tub. Due to the nature of the evidence, we ruled Ben’s death as a homicide. While there were obvious signs of a struggle, there was no sign of forced entry, which leads us to believe that Ben knew his attacker.” _

 

_ “Sir, do you believe that the public is in any danger?” _

 

_ “I do not. The murder seems personal in nature. We just urge the public to call us if anyone out there has any information regarding the case.” _

 

_ “Thank you Officer Bradwell. Back to you Steve.” _

 

“Oh my god, they still haven’t figured out who killed your son?” I hear one of the middle aged women in front of me say.

 

I focus my attention on the women, but do my best to not make it obvious.

 

“No, they haven’t. They keep telling us there’s no physical evidence of whoever was in the apartment with Ben. How does a person not leave some kind of sign that they were there? No hair, nothing!”

 

“Didn’t you say that Ben was acting weird right before he died? When did that start?”

 

“It was right after he went to that YouTuber’s Estate Sale in Massachusetts.”

 

_ Estate Sale? _

 

“A YouTuber, huh? What was their name?”

 

“Cid... something, I don’t remember. But I know he started acting weird just a couple of days after coming back from that.”

 

_ An estate sale, the liquidation of a deceased person’s assets… _

 

It didn’t even occur to me that Ben’s death and what was happening to me were related until that moment. I need to find out who that YouTuber was and get to the bottom of what is happening to me. There is something very clearly wrong with that game and I need to find out what. I proceed to take all of my stuff and leave the McDonald’s. When I get home, after cracking open a can of Monster, I immediately get onto my computer and onto Google. I start by typing in  _ YouTuber death _ but that yielded way too many results; I need to narrow it down. So, I type in  _ YouTuber death Massachusetts _ which turned out to be much better. The first three results where all of the same; a guy named Cid Hawkes who apparently killed himself. Upon reading one of the articles, I find out that he had a channel called Highwind Gaming and that he apparently hit a really rough patch of depression and hung himself from a banister in his home. 

 

After reading one of the articles, I go on YouTube to find his channel, but I find that it’s been deleted since his passing. However, in my research, I find that his Tumblr is very much intact. I scroll back a bit until I find an interesting post pertaining to a yard sale that he went to.

 

_ I finally got my hands on a copy of Final Fantasy VII! These puppies have been really scarce lately and I am so happy I can finally play this gem of a game! I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about! _

 

I take a gulp from my Monster, “doesn’t he know he could’ve bought the game on PSN? Oh whatever, he’s probably one of those people that need the physical game… kinda like me…”

 

I move on to the next post.

 

_ Guys. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m having really weird dreams and I’ve got a headache that could split mountains. I’m constantly coughing up this weird black stuff. I should probably go to the doctor, but I can’t get into any more debt, I’m already up to my eyeballs with it. If anyone knows what the hell I have, please let me know.  _

 

I scroll up to read the next and final post.

 

_ I’m going to die. There is something trying to kill me, I know it. There is something wrong with that game. The people I got the game from… their son had just died from a freak accident. It killed him, I just know it. I don’t want to die.  _

 

I finish off my Monster as I finish reading the last post in shock. The same thing that is happening to me happened to this Cid guy and probably Ben, too; and whoever this kid is. I scroll down through the rest of his Tumblr. He mentions another user, wedges-retro-corner, a lot. I click on the blog and much to my surprise, find it’s still very much active. In fact, his icon has a green circle next to it, an indication that they were active very recently. I make the decision to message him. I have to find out where Cid got the game he was describing.

 

**dreaming-of-pixels**

Hello! I’m sorry to bother you and this is probably really random, but can I talk to you about your friend Cid?

 

I stand up and go downstairs to grab another Monster from the fridge. I open it and drink down half the can almost immediately. I wasn’t about to let myself fall asleep again, not until I get this mess sorted out. I go into the living room and sit down on the couch. Odin promptly jumps onto the couch with me and rests his head in my lap. I continue to drink the Monster until I finish it. I then place the empty can on the coffee table. I decide to watch some YouTube to help me relax. I turn on a playthrough of Markiplier playing the first Five Nights at Freddy’s. Despite my best efforts, my eyes grow heavy and I catch myself closing them for a few seconds. I force myself to open them shortly after. Weirdly enough, I find that my TV is off and Odin is nowhere to be found, maybe I lost power for a split second, just enough to mess everything up. However, a familiar voice removes that theory from the equation. 

 

“Do you really think you can get away from me so easily, puppet?”

 

I scream as I find Sephiroth sitting next to me on the couch. I stand up from the couch and backup against the opposite wall from the couch. Sephiroth remains seated on the couch with his legs and arms crossed. He stares at me with an amused smirk.

 

“You really are an intriguing one, Ashley. On one hand you are absolutely terrified of me, and you should be. On the other, you absolutely adore me and, do I dare say it, you  _ want me _ , don’t you?” I watch as a hint of lust lingers in his gaze.

 

“No! You’re a liar!” I yell at as I press myself against the wall as much as I can, “you don’t know me!”

 

Sephiroth stands up from the couch and approaches me. Standing within inches of me, his fingers stroke my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

 

“What I have shown you is reality, my dear puppet.”

 

I shake my head, “no, you’re lying!”

 

“If that is the case,” he says, leaning forward to whisper in my ear, “then why aren’t you running?”

 

“For starters, you’re in the way.” I say to him with a smirk.

 

“True,” he replies with a chuckle, “and I do like to wear down my prey before having my way with them.”

 

He takes a few steps back, spreading his arms out, a smirk crossing his lips, “Run my pretty little puppet. I’ll even give you a head start.”

 

I don’t think twice, I sprint by him and into the kitchen. I grab my car keys from the island and run out the door to my car. I rip the car door open, jump in and start the car. I peel out of my driveway and I just start driving. After going through town, I turn off onto a side street, my tires squealing as I make the turn. After crossing a bridge, I pull off onto a overgrown path and stop the car. I kill the engine and jump out, sprinting onto the wooded trail. I look behind me and find that Sephiroth is nowhere in sight. I let out a hearty laugh before I suddenly run into something. I look in front of me and find Sephiroth standing there, smiling.

 

“Found you.”

 

I scream again and run onto a side trail. I run as hard and as fast as I possibly can. Before long, however, I feel something wrap around both of my ankles and I am, once again, pulled to the ground. As I am dragged along the ground, I try to grab onto tree roots and plants to stop myself, but my efforts were futile. I am suddenly forced onto my back as the smoke tentacles wrap themselves all over my body.

 

“Wake up, wake up! For the love of fuck, wake up!” I say to myself.

 

Sephiroth props himself on top of me, staring down at me with a smug grin, “there is no escape this time. I have you right where I want you, puppet.”

 

I look up at him and I can’t take my eyes off of him. His gloved hands stroke the sides of my face and I can feel a sticky substance coating my skin as he touches me. As he smiles down at me, that weird black liquid drips from his mouth and onto my face. For a single moment, the tentacles wrapped around me release their grip and I seize my opportunity to push myself out from under him. I stumble back onto my feet, running deeper into the forest, off the beaten path. As I’m running, a low hanging branch gets stuck onto my shirt. In a panic, I pull away from the branch, ripping my shirt at the right shoulder, causing that half of the shirt to hang off my body as I continue to run. In a blink of an eye, Sephiroth appears before me. I stop dead in my tracks, but I slip on the dead leaves and fall backwards onto my back. Sephiroth pounces onto me, his gloved hands making quick work of the button and fly on my jeans. Before he can continue, I kick his chin and once again crawl out from under him. Whilst on my hands and knees however, I feel Sephiroth grab the waist of my pants, ripping them and my underwear off. I scream, grasping at dead leaves and dirt as Sephiroth pulls my half naked body toward him. Black smoky tentacles burst from behind me and wrap around my head, covering my mouth to silence my cries. More tentacles wrap around my wrists, pulling my arms behind my back.

 

“Are you trembling in fear, or in excitement?” Sephiroth asks, letting out a soft chuckle.

 

I feel his hand rest on my back, the glove seemingly removed. His hand is ice cold, sending chills up my back. Tears stream down my cheeks as I continue, rather weakly, to struggle against him. Now something is dripping onto my back; it is also ice cold. 

 

“Aw, my poor puppet, please don’t cry. I’m only giving you what I know you want.”

 

I feel Sephiroth lean over my body, his cold breath brushing my left ear. Against my rear, something long and very much erect rests on top of it, all the while more tentacles wrap themselves all over me. 

 

“I can smell your excitement. You can’t hide anything from me.”

 

Imbedding his nose in my hair, he takes a deep breath as he repositions his hips. He places one hand on my hip and the other holds my head down onto the ground, my cheek grinds into the moist dirt of the forest. I manage get a glance of him through the corner of my eye. He is surprisingly calm as he looms over me. He is completely nude with that black liquid dripping from his lips and onto my back. Despite all my fear, my legs are trembling, not from fear, but from the anticipation of what is about to happen.

 

“Look at you,” Sephiroth purrs, “you’re so eager for me. Allow me to finally give you what you craved for so long.”

 

I let out another muffled scream as he thrusts into me, my entire body consumed by pain. His moves are rhythmic and the only sounds he makes are soft grunts. Each thrust becomes less painful and eventually he removes his hand from my head, however his fingernails dig into the skin on my hips. Abruptly he pulls out of me and I take the opportunity to flip onto my back and try to move away from him with my legs, my hands and mouth still bound by the smoky tendrils that protrude from him. Before I could get away from him, he grasps both my ankles and he pulls me back to him. Once again, I find myself locked in his gaze, unable to look away. I watch as the strangest thing happens; the liquid oozing from his mouth suddenly creeps back into his mouth and he smiles. His member twitches as it rests between my legs. He crawls on top of me, his face just inches from mine.

 

“There was another girl that adored me, just like you.” he begins, his expression suddenly turning dark, “but she thought she could control me. She was foolish. An inferior dullard. So I consumed her soul.”

 

My heart races as I simply stare at him; I don’t respond.

 

“You remind me of Cloud, full of fight yet completely infatuated with me, making you the perfect puppet. I will ruin you just as I have ruined him.”

 

With one swift movement, he was inside me again and back at it with his rhythmic thrusts. Before I could react, the tentacles that were covering my mouth were removed but they were quickly replaced by his lips. His kiss is deep and his tongue invades my mouth. His kiss tastes like death, yet I am responding to his kiss, much to my own dismay. 

 

“Admit it. You love me. You love  _ this _ .”

 

Sephiroth bites down on my bottom lip and I jerk back away from him, ripping my lip from his teeth, but not without drawing blood. There is a part of me that is enjoying this. I adore Sephiroth in the most unconventional way. But deep down, I know how wrong this is, assuming he killed Cid and Ben, I knew he was eventually going to try to kill me. I try to, once again crawl away from him with this revelation, but he claws at my hips and violently pulls me to him, pressing his member as deep inside me as he possibly could. He lets out a growl as he looks down at me with an animalistic grin. There is a cool sensation deep inside me and I knew in that moment that he had come. In this realization, I start crying, the tears coming down my face like faucets. My sobs were loud and violent; but Sephiroth remains inside me and simply stares down at me, his grin wide in triumph. 

 

Sephiroth leans over me once more, the chill of his lips gently trailing across my left cheek, “my perfect puppet.”

 

I am suddenly awoken by the sound of my cellphone ringing with the Chocobo Racing theme song and I practically fall off the couch. Breathing heavily and shaking, I grab my phone and look at the screen. It is the doctor’s office calling.

 

“Hello!?” I answer in a panic.

 

“Ashley, hi. It’s your doctor. Are you ok? You sound disturbed.”

 

“N-No I’m fine.” I say, but my tone is not convincing, not even to myself.

 

“Listen… I got the test results back from your blood and the black bile that you coughed up. The good news is that you tested negative for any viruses or diseases.”

 

I let out a loud sigh of relief, “oh that’s… that’s great to hear.”

 

“However, the bile was… concerning…”

 

“Wha… What do you mean?”

 

“It’s strange. The bile is blood; very old blood. The blood cells in it have been dead for weeks… months. And the lab found out that it’s blood from… three or four different people…”

  
“I’m sorry…  _ what _ !?”


End file.
